Chapter 168: Credit given

เผยแพร่เมื่อ 17 มี.ค. 2569 03:15

Chapter 168: Credit given CIAN I was about to say something else when footsteps pounded up the stairs. Fast. Urgent. An Omega came rushing toward us, her face flushed and her eyes wide with something that looked like excitement. "The Grand Luna is awake!" She was practically shouting. "The Grand Luna is awake!" The words hit me like a physical blow. My chest tightened. Relief flooded through me so fast it made me dizzy. I grabbed Ronan without thinking and pulled him into a rough hug. He hugged me back just as hard, his hand thumping against my shoulder blade. "She’s awake," I said into his shoulder. The words came out shaky. "Goddess, she’s actually awake." Behind us, Fia’s door opened. I pulled back from Ronan and turned to see her standing in the doorway. She looked exhausted still, her hair mussed from the pillow, but her eyes were alert and focused. "I heard," she said quietly. I crossed to her in three strides. "You should stay here. Rest. You just fell asleep." She shook her head and pushed past me into the hallway. "I want to see her." "Fia." "I’m going." She looked up at me with those determined eyes that told me arguing would be pointless. "You can either come with me or I’ll go alone." I felt my jaw work. I wanted to push back. To insist she needed sleep more than she needed to see my mother right now. But I knew that look. I knew that tone. She wasn’t going to budge. "Fine," I said. "But if you start feeling weak, you tell me immediately." She nodded and fell into step beside me. Ronan came up on my other side and the three of us moved through the halls together. The Omega who had brought the news hurried ahead of us, practically bouncing with excitement. My heart was hammering in my chest. My mother was awake. After days of watching her waste away, of seeing her trapped in that bed with machines breathing for her and tubes feeding her, she was finally conscious. Finally back. We reached the infirmary and the Omega pushed the doors open. I stepped through first and the scene hit me all at once. My mother was sitting up. Or trying to. Dr. Maren was supporting her shoulders while Elder Thorne hovered nearby looking concerned and relieved at the same time. Madeline stood off to the side with Elara. Both of them stood a bit far back but were watching my mother with careful eyes. But it was my mother who held all my attention. She had her hand raised up high. Her fingers were spread wide like she was reaching for something only she could see. Her eyes were unfocused. Distant. Like she was looking at something far beyond the walls of this room. "The colors," she was saying. Her voice was thin. Raspy from disuse. "Do you see them? They’re everywhere. Dancing. Spinning." Dr. Maren’s voice was gentle. "Luna Morrigan, you need to rest. Lie back down." "But the colors..." My mother’s hand waved through the air. "They’re so beautiful. I’ve never seen anything like them." I moved without thinking. My feet carried me across the room to her bedside. I reached out and took her raised hand in both of mine. Her skin felt cold. Too cold. But her grip was there. Weak but present. "Mother," I said. My voice cracked on the word. She turned her head toward me. Her eyes were still glassy. Still unfocused. But something in them shifted when she looked at me. Some recognition that cut through whatever delirium was holding her. I couldn’t help myself. I leaned in and wrapped my arms around her, careful not to jostle the tubes and wires still attached to her. She felt so small in my arms. So fragile. Like she might break if I held her too tight. The tears came before I could stop them. They burned hot tracks down my face and I didn’t care who saw. I buried my face against her shoulder and felt my whole body shake with the force of everything I’d been holding in for a long while now. "I missed you," I said. The words came out choked. Broken. "I missed you so much." Her hand came up. Slow and trembling. She touched the back of my head and her fingers tangled in my hair the way they used to when I was a child and needed comfort. "My boy," she whispered. Her voice was rough but steady. Real. "How have you been?" I pulled back enough to look at her face. The delirious quality had faded from her eyes. She was looking at me now. Really looking at me. Seeing me. "I’ve been well," I managed. My throat was tight. My chest ached. "It’s good to have you back." She smiled. It was a small thing. Tired. But genuine. Her eyes held mine for a long moment and I saw all the love and worry and relief reflected there that I was feeling in my own chest. Then her gaze shifted. Moved past me to where Fia stood near the foot of the bed. My mother’s smile widened and something warm entered her expression. "Hey," she said softly. "Come here." Fia hesitated. Just for a second. Then she moved forward slowly until she was close enough to the bed. My mother reached out with the hand that wasn’t holding mine and Fia took it carefully. My mother pulled her closer and wrapped her arms around Fia in a gentle hug. Fia went stiff for just a moment before she relaxed and returned the embrace. "It brings me peace," my mother said into Fia’s hair, "to see you two. You seem closer." Fia didn’t say anything but I saw the way her shoulders relaxed. The way she leaned into my mother’s hold just slightly. My mother pulled back but kept hold of Fia’s hand. She looked down at their joined hands and then back up to Fia’s face. Her eyes were soft. Grateful. "This must be you," she said quietly. "Thank you for saving my life." Fia’s eyes went wide. Confusion flashed across her face. She opened her mouth like she was going to say something but no words came out. Before either of us could respond, Uncle Aldric stepped forward from where he’d been standing near the wall. His movements were deliberate. Purposeful. He came to stand at the foot of the bed and his eyes met my mother’s. "Luna Fia was indeed indispensable to saving you from the poisoning getting worse," he said. His voice was measured. Careful. "But it was actually Madeline Blossom that lifted the spell of the alchemized poison." The words landed in the room like stones dropping into still water. Ripples spread outward. I felt them hit me in the chest. My jaw clenched before I could stop it. I turned my head to look at Aldric and found him looking back at me with an expression that was completely neutral. Like he had just stated a simple fact and nothing more. But it wasn’t nothing. This felt like it was a deliberate correction. A pointed statement. He had waited until this exact moment to clarify who had actually saved my mother’s life. Right when my mother was thanking Fia. Right when she was showing gratitude and affection. It was a low blow. Calculated and precise. The kind of move that looked innocent on the surface but cut deep underneath. I felt anger spark in my chest. Hot and immediate. But I pushed it down. Buried it. This wasn’t the time or place for confrontation. My mother had just woken up. She was still weak. Still recovering. I wasn’t going to start a fight in her sick room. But I would remember this. It seemed so odd. Out of character for uncle Aldric. My mother’s gaze shifted from Fia to me. Her expression changed. Became thoughtful. Maybe a little confused. Like she was trying to piece together information that didn’t quite fit together in her mind. "Madeline Blossom?" she repeated. Her voice was still rough but there was curiosity in it now. "She’s here?" "Yes," Aldric said. "She arrived tonight and performed the ritual to remove the poison from your system. You owe your life to her skill and her willingness to help." I watched Madeline’s face as Aldric spoke. She looked uncomfortable. Her shoulders were tense and her hands were clasped in front of her like she didn’t know what to do with them. She didn’t meet my mother’s eyes. Didn’t look at me either. Just stared at some point on the floor between us all. 𝚏𝕣𝐞𝗲𝐰𝕖𝐛𝐧𝕠𝕧𝚎𝚕.𝐜𝚘𝗺 My mother turned her attention fully to Madeline now. "Oh... Madeline... it is nice to see you again." Madeline took a deep breath and said; "You too, Luna Morrigan." Thank you," Mother said simply. "I’m in your debt." Madeline finally looked up. Her eyes found my mother’s and she shook her head twice. "No, Luna Morrigan. I’m glad I could help."

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